JERUSALEM—Israel’s Shin Bet security service today reported the uncovering of a plot by Hamas to oust the Palestinian Authority (PA) from control of the West Bank in an armed uprising.
It said that Hamas intended to first destabilize the region by a series of deadly terror attacks inside Israel and then to topple the PA, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, by a military coup.
Ninety-six Hamas operatives have been arrested thus far, the Shin Bet said, and weapons and money have been confiscated.
The report named Riad Nasser, 38, as head of Hamas’ military infrastructure in the West Bank but said he received instructions from Hamas leaders based in Turkey and from a forward command post in Jordan. The investigation, which began in May, is ongoing, the officials said.
Officials said the Hamas cell extended through dozens of cities and villages in the West Bank.
"The terrorists planned to undermine security and launch a third intifada (uprising)," said a senior official. "They were waiting for talks between Israel and the PA to collapse."
The network had undertaken a recruiting drive, the officials said, which focused on university students, particularly chemistry and engineering students. Hamas had intended to open a second front in the West Bank during the fighting in Gaza, the officials said, but this was aborted following the Shin Bet roundup.
The announcement was made only seven hours before Israel and Hamas were to announce in Cairo whether or not they accepted Egypt’s proposal for an extended truce. It was not clear how the revelations would influence their decision.
The Palestinian delegation to Cairo, of which Hamas is a part, is headed by representatives of the Palestinian Authority sent by the PA’s president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Dr. Kobi Michaeli, a political science lecturer at Ariel University, said the revelations reinforce the view that Hamas is not a pragmatic organization that would eventually be open to peaceful integration. They also reinforced the contention by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, that Israel would be unable in any peace agreement to waive access to the West Bank by its military.